Boxer Says EPA Should Regulate Coal Waste
The silver lining in that massive coal waste spill is that at least something will finally be done:
WASHINGTON — Federal regulations are needed to make sure that ash from coal-fired power plants is stored safely, Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said on Thursday as the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held a hearing on the spill of 1 billion gallons of toxic sludge in East Tennessee.
Republican and Democratic lawmakers promised to make sure that the Tennessee Valley Authority helps the region recover from one of the nation's worst spill and looks for ways to prevent other spills and leaks.
[...] It's not entirely clear how much ash is stored around the country or where. The Environmental Protection Agency doesn't track the number or have a breakdown for the states, said spokeswoman Tisha Petteway.
According to the American Coal Ash Association's latest survey, in 2007, coal-fired plants generated 131 million tons of coal ash.
The nation's hundreds of coal ash dumps contain millions of pounds of toxic metals such as arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury and chromium, which can cause cancer or damage the nervous system and lungs and other organs if people ingest them. The EPA has left regulation up to the states, but it's been debating whether to set national standards.
"For nearly three decades, EPA has been looking the issue of how to regulate combustion waste," Boxer said. "The federal government has the power to regulate these wastes, and inaction has allowed this enormous volume of toxic material to go largely unregulated."
yet another spill, or an imminent one? Thought I read about it on MSNBC.
Latch hold of Obama and drive home the fact that there is no such animal as clean coal!
We here in Maine had one hell of a time fighting off a crook who wanted to start a clean coal operation where we have no coal. Barges would have had to bring the coal from away endangering fishing and lobstering.
These coal crooks are dirty dealers. Obama has got to be educated.
but how about burying it back in the holes from which the coal was dug? If the transportation/disposal costs were factored in, coal may not seem to be the "cheap" fuel source it is touted to be. May even spur greater interest, funding for more cleaner sources.
"Parachutes are allowed in checked or carry-on baggage, but may not be worn in flight."
---Southwest Airlines
They have to hold it somewhere while they are still digging the hole. It takes a looooong time to totally deplete a coal vein.
It's the likes of Feinstein and Ried and the rest of the the DINOs that are the problem.
Something Democrats don't understand: we are all on the back of a huge ugly beast with two heads. The two heads don't really get along, but the body walks in one direction. And it is walking right at a cliff.
Democrats think that if they shout at the head on their side of the beast it will change direction. This is partly true. It will change direction, but do it so slowly, that at present rates, any idiot can see that the beast is still most likely to walk over the cliff.
Republicans just don't give a flying f*ck as long as they are making money, and are more than happy to roll the beast over the cliff. Then they can call it "armageddon" and then dream that their imaginary friend (some weird Semitic sky god) will come save them. Yeah - it's a twisted fantasy of helplessness, but what do you expect from retards?
Coal ash is the tiniest tip of the iceberg.
Someday, perhaps Americans will understand that all of the craptastic pollution in China is actually 40 - 50% American pollution - it's just displaced American production.
Sigh.
So, you have a choice: shout louder and stop compromising with DINOs and other asshats bend on the status quo, or get the hell out before it all hits the fan and the American Empire completely collapses in a self-inflicted heap of poverty, disease, famine, and radioactivity.
You have been warned. This is your one and only warning. Prove to the world that the USA is not what Burroughs described as "the single greatest betrayal of the last and greatest of human dreams."
It's called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it.
-George Carlin
Thank you!
"Parachutes are allowed in checked or carry-on baggage, but may not be worn in flight."
---Southwest Airlines
I doubt boxer can regulate her own waste.
She looks like she smells of used Depends.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
she has waste in her boxers?
And therefor, is not a good choice for regulation of said waste.
How bout the governer of Montana? He thinks coal's pretty clean.
He probably also thinks his farts don't stink.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
The other spill was in AL and, oopsie, that was TVA also:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/A...
If there is a coal fired power plant near you then there’s also a spill waiting to happen near you.
That article states that the retaining pond in Al is 147 acres big.
147 frickin acres.
nasty stuff.
What is your conceptual, continuity?
here you go Barbara.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTDAJMXZQKo&fe...
Centrailia, Pa mines are still burning, right up under the clean coal supporting Pennsylvanians noses. USA USA USA.
Please Calgon take me away.
Clean coal is probably the biggest oxymoron towards the environment!
I worked in the strip mines, for a company that sold out to Ashland Oil.
You would not believe the things that happen in the process of mining.
First off all of the equipment is huge.
That means that all the oil that is used in the machine is in huge ammounts.
You are talking gallons of motor oil, and gallons of transmission oil, and differential oil.
Hundreds of gallons of hydraulic oil, antifreeze, grease!
Accidents happen every day and oil gets spilled out on the ground, gallons maybe a hundred gallons.
Their was never any attempt to clean it up it soaked into the ground or was washed into the watershead with the rain.
They did things so poorly as far as trying to keep all these chemicals for getting into the watershead. It was not just poorly it was nonexistant in effort or even concern what these things would do.
You remember the first fake oil crisis we had back then. You remember the gas lines, only getting gas on certain days?
It was a fake. There was plenty of oil and gas, they used it as an excuse to raise their prices.
Ashland oil came to our mine site and told us that we could no longer drive our vehicles home because they did not think they would have enough fuel to run the jobs. So until further notice drive your own vehicle and leave your company vehicle parked on the hill.
Like all good employees we did as we were told.
About two weeks later I had left the hill to get some parts for some equipment as I am comming back I meet a fuel truck, a tractor trailer rig with a 40 foot long tank there is a man on the back bumper with one arm wrapped through the ladder and a fuel hose in the other hand spraying diesel fuel on the road to keep the dust down!
They tell us they don't have enough fuel to run the jobs but they can spray diesel fuel on the road to keep the dust down?
That road ran along beside a small creek and that creek runs into a river.
So where does the diesel fuel end up?
That is just a few very small parts of the clean coal myth!
That is one of the really cool things the internet does is tap people who are experts about the topic and have first hand knowledge. people reporting the story rarely get the view from the standpoint of the workers, only the spokesperson.
I appreciate comments like yours that help everyone understand the story even better than the initial reporting.
All this time and the EPA doesn't regulate coal waste?
They regulate all sorts of piddly shit left and right, but not coal waste?
WTF?
Even though it is something we ingest AND it is classified as a drug AND it is known to kill people.
Well am pissed. Today on the radio I heard that our electric bills are going to go up to pay for this mess and to pay for law suits. I live in Tn. Why should we have to pay. I think the company should have to pay. We are alway get shit on.
Southern Yankee
with national standards is that all coal is not created equal. Different sources have different concentrations of the various heavy metals that you list and national rules would effect some states much more than others. Not that it is a bad idea but there will be considerable resistance from some states. It is sort of like military base closings. A very touchy subject.
Hasa Diga Eebowai
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